In sensitivity testing of samples of organisms, sensitivity discs impregnated with different substances, such as various antibiotics, are dispensed onto the surface of a culture medium, e.g. a thin layer of agar gel, in a receiving container such as petri dish. Such discs typically comprise a circular piece of absorbent material such as blotting paper, about 0.5 mm thick, and are conventionally supplied in a stack, e.g. of 50 discs, in an elongate cylindrical cartridge, with the discs biased to an exit end of the cartridge by means of an internal coil spring.
A variety of dispensers are known and commercially available for dispensing discs from such cartridges, including a variety of different designs of dispensers for simultaneously dispensing a plurality of discs in a predetermined pattern from respective cartridges. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,145 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,047.
The invention aims to provide a novel construction of dispenser for flat objects that is robust and reliable in operation.